Brotherhood
by The Chthonic Professor
Summary: The Third Hokage receives word of the Akatsuki's goals during Naruto's final year at the academy, around the same time that nine young shinobi-in-training are found to have suspiciously high amounts of Spiritual Energy. The nine students are sent to Hogwarts to learn how to harness their magic, and an unbreakable bond of Brotherhood is formed somewhere down the line.
1. Change of Pace

**_Brotherhood_**

 ** _The Chthonic Professor_**

 ** _Summary:_** _The Third Hokage receives word of the Akatsuki's goals during Naruto's final year at the academy, around the same time that nine young shinobi-in-training are found to have suspiciously high amounts of Spiritual Energy. The nine students are sent to Hogwarts to learn how to harness their magic, and an unbreakable bond of Brotherhood is formed somewhere down the line._

 ** _Warnings:_** _Good!Draco, eventual Good!Sasuke, super-mushy brotherly/sisterly fluffiness abound, alongside a healthy (or should that be unhealthy?) dose of action!_

-.-

 ** _Chapter One - Change of Pace_**

-.-

Sarutobi Hiruzen had lived through more hardship than anyone had the right to boast about. He'd live through two Shinobi Wars, gained the title of _God of Shinobi_ as well as _The Professor_ , taken up the mantle of Hokage, strongest shinobi in the Hidden Leaf, _twice_ , and had to deal with Naruto's pranks for the last five years.

Despite all of his hardships he'd experienced, nothing could have prepared him enough to face the information that his most vibrant student brought to him one fateful morning.

He'd listened to Jiraiya's report. He'd read Jiraiya's report, thrice. Then he'd asked to listen to it again.

His hands wouldn't stop shaking, no matter the fact that he was one of the most powerful men in the entire world.

"You're entirely sure this is accurate, Jiraiya?" He questioned one final time. Jiraiya's response was a solemn nod.

Sarutobi sighed.

"I will need some time to think on this matter." He placed the folder softly upon his desk and put his head in his hands. "Dismissed."

Then Jiraiya was gone.

-.-

 _One Month Later_

-.-

It had been a month since the Third had received Jiraiya's… more than disturbing report. It was a stroke of fate that one of his most trusted medics came rushing into his office not ten minutes later, announcing what very well might have been a shining ray of hope and inspiration upon the age-old leader's plight.

The hospital had just reached a breakthrough in the study of the mechanics of Chakra while studying the fluctuation patterns of some of the academy students' chakra networks during a routine check-up at the school. It seemed that, of all of the students at the academy, nine seemed to have incredibly potent Spiritual Chakra, unlike anything the medic claimed to have seen before.

The old Sarutobi, however, _had_ seen something of the like before. It had been years ago, but he'd met an oddity of a man with a short brown goatee that claimed he was able to preform feats of magic by using what 'you shinobi', he claimed, called Spiritual energy.

So, with an intensity and vigour that hadn't graced the wizened leader's muscles for nearly a decade, Sarutobi Hiruzen began to write a letter.

Now, almost exactly one month later, several children stood before him. Or, Hiruzen should say, seven children in varying degrees of nervousness, one in an intense state of brooding, and one entirely missing.

The old man paused in his musings and listened intently. He thought he could hear the sounds of destruction heading closer and closer to the door of his office.

It was only a moment before the sounds of destruction manifested into a high-pitched, whiny voice that the old Hokage knew all too well.

"… let go of me you bastard! I'm telling you, it really wasn't me this time!"

The door to his office banged open and one of Hiruzen's unremarkable Chunin shinobi came in, holding Naruto by the scruff of his orange jumpsuit. The blonde looked up at him with watering blue eyes.

"Oi, Jiji, I really didn't do anything this time, I swear! Whatever it was, it wasn't me!" Naruto ranted, flailing in the older man's iron-clad grip on his jacket.

The Hokage just chuckled, dismissing the Chunin with a wave of his hand. The man unceremoniously dropped Naruto like a sack of potatoes on the floor and promptly left the room.

"I believe you Naruto, you're not in trouble for any pranks, or anything of the like."

Naruto stopped stone-cold. He stared at the old man sitting behind the desk and his eyes glazed over. Sarutobi could almost _see_ the gears slowly churning in the blond boy's head.

"Eh?" His response was just as eloquent (and amusing) as Hiruzen had expected it to be. He chuckled again as he motioned for Naruto to stand in line with his eight other classmates.

"As amusing as this has been," Hiruzen slowly stopped chuckling, threaded his fingers together atop his polished oak desk, and hardened his gaze, "The subject matter at hand is a little more serious."

All fidgeting among the nine academy trainees stopped as they stood at attention before the leader of both their village and their military.

"In the last thirty days, I have found myself faced with a rather… unprecedented situation. You see, during the annual medical check-ups preformed by the academy last month, our medics found something quite, well, fascinating." Hiruzen paused for a moment, and the nine children before him glanced at each other up and down the line they'd formed.

"H-Hokage-sama?" Haruno Sakura meekly spoke up, her natural curiosity overtaking her need for maintaining military conduct, "What is it… what is it that the medics found, Hokage-sama?"

The old man smiled warmly at the pink-haired girl, "I'm very glad you asked, Sakura-chan." The little girl blushed slightly, her face lighting up at the praise from the legendary figure before her. "You see," The Hokage began, his voice taking on a tone that made the students think he was about to tell them some sort of fairy tale, "The medics, after some extensive testing, found an oddity among the chakra of some of the students in this year's graduating class. Nine students, to be specific." Once more, the nine glanced back and forth among each other.

"Oi, we're not gonna die, are we?" Inuzuka Kiba suddenly piped up, a worried look on his face.

"No, no, not at all, Kiba-kun." The boy seemed to sag slightly in relief. "The medics discovered that, unlike the other students, or any other shinobi, really, the nine of you have an unbelievable amount of Spiritual Energy in comparison to Physical Energy."

Most of the students seemed to understand, at least, the difference between Spiritual and Physical Energies and their relation to Chakra, if not the actual context of the Third Hokage's words.

Naruto was not among them.

"Eh? Spiritual Energy? Physical Energy? What're you talking about, old man?"

One could almost hear the agony in Uchiha Sasuke' forceful sigh, and the exasperation in Shikamaru's muttered 'troublesome.'

"Oh, Naruto," Hiruzen sighed mournfully, having expected this from the blond menace, "Your chakra is made up of a mixture of your Spiritual Energy, and your Physical Energy. Though Physical Energy can be constantly honed, no matter one's age, through physical exercise, one's Spiritual Energy reaches its peak around the time that a shinobi, or kunoichi, finishes puberty."

He paused to make sure that not only Naruto, but the rest of the students were following along. Though everything he'd said so far was standard knowledge, the rest of what he had to say was rather far from it.

"Though what I've just told you is common knowledge to most shinobi," He gave Naruto a pointed look, making the hyperactive knucklehead whither a little, "What I'm about to tell you, isn't." He leaned forwards slightly, as if he was about to let the nine children in on a secret, and tried not to smile at the standard shinobi tactics he was employing to further engage them in the minor unplanned lecture this debriefing had turned into.

"Now, while most believe that the differences between Spiritual and Physical energies are merely that, spiritual, or mental, and physical, it only scratches the surface of the complexities of the latent energies that make up our chakra network. Let me start with our Physical Energy, the less complex of the two."

"Physical Energy is the part of your chakra that is taken from your muscles. The stronger the muscles in your body, the greater your Physical Energy will be. Now, what the Physical Energy actually accounts for in relation to your chakra is that it represents the density, or the weight of your chakra, along with the amount of fluidity with which it runs through your coils. You can train the Physical aspect of your chakra at any time to make it more accessible and more powerful overall by training your body through intense physical exercise."

"On the opposite end of the spectrum we have your Spiritual Energy. Some people are born with a higher set amount of Spiritual Energy than others, and often those born with these high levels of Spiritual Energy are destined to become great shinobi. Your Spiritual Energy, contrary to popular belief, actually accounts for your total chakra capacity, along with the natural potency of your chakra."

Seeing more than a couple of blank looks being sent his way, Hiruzen decided to elaborate. He _was_ still dealing with children, after all, no matter how prodigious some of them may have claimed to be.

"Here, think of it like a water balloon. Where your Spiritual Energy is the rubber of the balloon, the Physical Energy is the water inside the balloon. If you train hard, you can keep filling your water balloon with water until it's been stretched so far, that if you added any more water the ballon would pop. Some people are born with bigger water balloons than others, and so can exercise their Physical Energy to greater heights than others. However, while you're filling your balloon with Physical Energy, it's constantly expanding at fluctuating rates until you finish going through puberty. Once it hits this point, you can think of it as if the balloon has finally realized how large it can get until it pops, but hasn't actually been filled with enough water to reach that point yet." He stopped to let his words sink in. "Is everyone following me, now?"

Receiving nods all around (though some still looked a tad bit confused), Hiruzen continued with his explanation.

"Good. Now, as one's Spiritual Energy stops growing once puberty had been completed, so to speak, some of you might have guessed that your Spiritual Energy only begins to grow when you _begin_ puberty." Hiruzen raised an eyebrow and received only a nod or two in confirmation.

"You'd be correct, this is what happens in normal shinobi. The nine of you are, apparently, far from normal." Hiruzen leaned back in his plushy, official Hokage chair and smiled genially at the nine children in front of him.

"Hokage-sama?" Sakura questioned quietly.

"You see, where normally a person's Spiritual Energy does not start growing until a child start's puberty, the Spiritual Energies of all nine of you have been increasing, in fluctuating patters, since birth. It was only just recently that this abnormality was brought to my attention by the academy's medics, and I recognized it as a phenomenon once described to me by an old friend."

"Over the last month, I have been exchanging letters with this colleague of mine, a man by the name of Albus Dumbledore, only to find out that, since we'd last spoken, he has become the headmaster of a school designed to teach children how to control their powerful Spiritual Energies."

The whole room seemed to be holding its breath, as if everyone could sense the approaching bomb lying in wait behind the Hokage's oh-so innocent-looking lips.

"Where he's from, they call this phenomenon _Magic_."

The room fell silent.

Information was digested.

Information was… in the _process_ of being digested, with very, _very_ large quantities of scepticism and wondering if their venerable old leader had finally lost his marbles.

Naruto exploded. "You're kidding!" He laughed (slightly hysterically). "You're pulling our legs, right Jiji? Oh man, I didn't know you were a prankster, old man! I mean, everyone knows magic isn't real!"

"I am most certainly not joking, Uzumaki Naruto." The blond boy froze, the old man's use of his full name cutting through him like an iron blade.

"… but… but you _have_ to be joking." Naruto argued weakly. "I mean, _magic isn't real_."

"It most certainly is, Naruto, and the nine of you are the only ones potentially able to use it in the entire village. This makes you special." At those words, all nine of them subconsciously straightened their spines a little. "This colleague of mine is a man named Albus Dumbledore," Naruto let out a snort, and Hiruzen gave him _the look_ , "And he is the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Sakura looked like she was about to interrupt him with a question, so he pushed on quickly.

"The school is located somewhere in a land called Scotland, which is part of the United Kingdom."

There was a pause. Then Naruto's ever-so-eloquent 'Huh?' universally summed up the reactions of the rest of the nine academy students.

"These are both lands located in the Outer Countries."

…

There was a sudden uproar of noise, from Sakura's excited chatter about the knowledge that she'd attained of the elusive Outer Countries to Naruto and Kiba shouting confused questions at the Hokage relating to the subject matter at hand.

" **Quiet!** " The old man bellowed, instantly hushing all noise in the room.

"Thank you." Hiruzen straightened his robes and gave all nine students a stony stare. "Now, over the last month, Dumbledore-san and I have come to an agreement. As the nine of you are at the age when the magical children of the Outer Countries begin their education at Hogwarts, you will be attending school with other children your age to learn more about magic…"

Excited chattering and glancing resumed among the nine children as Hiruzen took a deep breath.

"… for the next seven years."

The room froze. Again.

" _WHAT?!"_ Naruto's shrill cry exploded from his lips.

"Aw man, I thought we were done with school!" Kiba whined pitifully, Akamaru whimpering along with him from inside his fur-lined coat.

"Seven… years…" Sakura mumbled, contemplating just how long seven years really were.

"How am I supposed to become a shinobi if I'm in school for the rest of my life?!" Naruto was panicking rather impressively.

" ** _Enough!_** " The Hokage slammed his hand down on his desk to bring order to the nine children.

"Allow me to divulge my reasons for gathering all of you here, and revealing all of this _classified_ information to you." The Hokage's voice was hard, and his message was clear. None of what was said today could be repeated to anybody outside of this room.

"Effective immediately, the nine of you are officially Genin of Konohagakure no Sato."

Once more, the room fell silent.

There was a sudden uproarious cheer from Naruto and Kiba, the two of them leaping into the air in celebration. Sasuke was smirking, Sakura seemed to have entered a state of shock, Ino was cheering along with Naruto and Kiba, Hinata was smiling happily, Shino was as stoic as ever, and Shikamaru seemed to have fallen asleep leaning against Choji's shoulder. Waiting for them to finally calm down (and with a small smile on his face), Hiruzen continued.

"This will be your first official mission as shinobi and kunoichi of Konoha: attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the next seven years, and learn everything you can about magic!"

The Hokage stood slowly from his seat, hands clasped behind his back, regarding all of them with pride in his gaze.

"I ask that you take this mission with Konoha on your mind, and the Will of Fire burning fiercely in your hearts."

Nine children gazed up at him with varying levels of smiles on their features, and Hiruzen knew that this decision had not been a mistake. He smiled softly down at them.

"Go now, you have the rest of the day to say your goodbyes to your families and pack anything you believe will be necessary to take along for this mission. I expect to see all nine of you in my office by no later than 0600 hours tomorrow morning. Dismissed!"

-.-

 **AN: Yeah… I know. I'm going to try juggling this, SNN and The Spirit of the Tree of Death right alongside the difficulties of college life.**

 **Don't worry about me, I'll manage. And I'm giving you people my word that I** ** _will_** **be updating all three stories in as consistent a manner as I can feasibly manage. So expect them to be rather erratic.**

 **Besides that:** ** _how_** **much freaking potential does this story have? Boo yeah! My muse is on** ** _fire_** **right now! Oh man, the fluff-and-action content in this story is going to be** ** _so_** **real!**


	2. Welcome to the Wizarding World

**_Chapter Two - Welcome to the Wizarding World_**

-.-

As per the Hokage's orders, nine newly-minted Genin were standing before him at exactly six in the morning. That did _not_ mean, in any sense of the word, that those nine Genin were happy about it. Naruto unleashed a jaw-cracking yawn, showing off a pair of vicious canines that had a couple of his classmates shivering. Not even _Kiba_ had canines that sharp.

"Oi, old man," Naruto grumbled, squinting at his village leader through tired eyes, "What's the big idea having us come up here so-" He yawned again, "-early in the morning?"

"Ah, that would be my doing, Mr. Uzumaki."

Hiruzen thought it was _far_ too amusing when all nine Genin nearly jumped out of their skins, whirling around to face the newcomer in the room. He was a tall, frail-looking man with a thick mane of white hair, a beard that was so long it was tucked into his belt. His wise blue eyes were twinkling warmly at them from behind a pair of half-moon glasses, and he was wearing a pointy purple hat and the _oddest_ vibrant purple kimono that any of them had ever seen.

"Everyone," Hiruzen spoke up, gaining their attention, "This is Dumbledore Albus, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." He motioned towards the man with a wave of his arm.

"It is an absolute delight to meet all of you," Albus smiled at them with a tip of his hat. Then, he turned his attention to the whisker-marked blond troublemaker. "You see, Mr. Uzumaki, we have very many things to do today, and very little time to do them. So, if you would all please gather your belongings, we shall be off at once."

At those words, there was a slight scramble as everyone ran around, gathering their bags and other things they'd set leaning against the wall, but it was only a minute before they were all lined up before their Hokage, standing at attention.

"I am expecting monthly reports from all of you," He swept the new Genin with a gaze, his eyes lingering on Naruto, Kiba and Shikamaru, "Learn all that you can about magic, but do not forget to have fun. Behave," His eyes shot to Naruto once more, who grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck, "And may the Will of Fire guide you towards your futures."

His piece said, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, sat back in his chair and let Albus take over.

"Now, children, if you would all gather around me," Albus motioned them close, and then pulled a teacup from his odd garb, "I would ask that every one of you make sure you are touching the teacup. Be quick now, or you will be left behind,"

The new Genin glanced furtively at each other, not quite sure what to make of this sudden turn of events, but every single one of them made sure that they had at least one finger touching the teacup.

"Now what?" Naruto asked, giving voice to all of their thoughts. The headmaster's eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Now, we hang on for dear life."

There was a hooking sensation behind each of their navels, and then the world was spinning. It was over in only a matter of seconds, nine Genin finding themselves nauseous and face-down in the middle of an empty cobblestone street.

The headmaster, looking unruffled and a tad bit amused, ushered them all to their feet. "Come along now, children. We will head for the Leaky Cauldron where I will, ah, what did Hiruzen call it… where I will debrief you on the rest of your mission over breakfast." He took off down the winding cobbled street without a backwards glance, and the nine Genin struggled to keep up with the man's long strides.

They found the ancient man leading them through a brick archway and into a dimly-lit bar. The headmaster motioned for the group to take a seat around the largest table in the room, and after making sure they were all settled in, motioned for the bartender to attend to them.

"Good evening, Tom," The old man greeted the bartender warmly, receiving a gap-filled toothy smile.

"Evenin', headmaster. What can I be doin' ya for?"

"Ah, if you wouldn't mind, I would appreciate ten orders of your delightful English Breakfast, Tom, and maybe some orange juice to wash it down." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as the bartender bowed low and left to prepare their breakfast. Then he turned his twinkling gaze on the nine children seated before him.

"Now, before the nine of you begin your education under the guidance of England's Finest, there are some things you have to learn, so I would implore you all listen carefully." His intense blue eyes slowly wandered over the nine children seated before him, making sure that they had all understood him. His friend Hiruzen had told him that the two boys with markings on their faces were ones to look out for.

"The first; you must be made aware of some of the cultural differences between our people and yours. Hiruzen informed me that, according to your home, the nine of you are officially adults the moment you are granted those headbands, and are recognized as ninja." He looked at them all over his half-moon glasses as they all started glancing at each other with budding smiles. "Here, however, you are children."

Everyone froze. Dumbledore chuckled.

"Do not look so surprised. In your home, children begin their education at the age of six and graduate at the age of eleven or twelve. This gives you up to six years of education. However, here in our culture, children only begin a formal education at the age of eleven, the same age as all of you, and finish their education at the age of eighteen, where they are finally recognized as legal adults. This gives them seven years of formal education until they reach physical maturity before they are recognized as adults before the government."

He paused, taking a sip from the glass of orange juice that Tom had placed before him (something which had gone unnoticed by the nine Genin, leaving some of them suitably embarrassed), and allowing his words to sink in.

"Now, similar to your home, ours is separated by two different cultures. Like you have both ninja and civilians, we have those who can use magic, and those who can not. However, the separation between our two cultures is far greater than your own." He paused again, closing his eyes and sighing lightly.

"People who can use magic are recognized as Witches and Wizards. We call those who are unable to use our gift Muggles. Where our society differs from yours, is in the fact that Muggles have absolutely no magic in their bodies at all, unlike your civilians who have minor amounts of chakra." Dumbledore's words brought many wide eyes to the children seated around the table. All of a sudden Sakura's hand shot into the air, and Dumbledore regarded her with a twinkle in his wise eyes. "Yes, my dear?" He asked, motioning for her to speak with a slight wave of his hand.

"Ah, well, how is it possible that someone could be born without magic? It's impossible for someone to be born without chakra, isn't it? Aren't the two similar to each other?" She asked, firing off one question after another that had been plaguing her advanced mind.

"You see," Dumbledore's response was immediate, "Though the two energies _are_ similar, they are not, in fact, identical. In your society, the number of ninja is far closer to the number of civilians than in our society. This is because magic is a gift, something incredibly rare. Where it is likely that someone with civilian levels of chakra could train to become a ninja," Dumbledore stared pointedly at Sakura, who blushed under his scrutiny, "The same does not apply to Witches and Wizards."

"This is expressly _because_ one must be born with magic, to use it." He explained, rising a finger to show that he was proclaiming something important. "Far fewer people are born with magic than not, as the Muggle population far outnumbers our own. There are also those born to parents with magic who can not use it themselves. These people are called Squibs by a majority of the Wizarding community, though it is slightly derogatory term. On the other hand, there are also those born to Muggle parents with the ability to use magic. These people are known as Muggleborns, though some refer to them by the derogatory slur of 'Mudblood'." Dumbledore gave each and every on of them a piercing look.

"I would implore that none of you use these slurs to refer to either each other or your fellow students. I find such things unacceptable." Receiving nine nods in response, Dumbledore smiled.

"Good, good. Now, that leads to the second thing I would like to tell you. As much as it pains me to say so, there is a major division amongst the populace of our society." Nine questioning gazes look up at him, and Dumbledore's eyes seemed to darken.

"Many of those who use magic are very proud of their abilities, and some can trace their lineage back into ancient historical times. These people, in contrast to the derogatory slur of Mudblood, refer to themselves as 'Pure Bloods'. Many pure-blooded families are stuck in ancient traditions and manners of thinking, which, over time, has led to an incomprehensible divide between the Wizarding and Muggle communities. This division extends to the point that revealing one's status as a Witch or Wizard to a Muggle is punishable by law." Dumbledore paused again, giving the children some time to let his words sink in.

Some of them paled after being faced with this information. One slip of the tongue to the wrong person and they could be sent to prison, or worse. The Genin could hear Naruto audibly gulp from one end of the table, and some of them almost chuckled.

"Now," Dumbledore continued, "The final thing I would like to bring to your attention, is on a much lighter note than the previous subject." He smiled at the young ninja before him, his eyes twinkling once more. "As first year students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, you will all be required to acquire some specific items before attending school. These," He suddenly procured a number of thick envelopes from the inside of his robes, "Are your official invitations to Hogwarts, which include what you will require to attend the school."

This time, it was Shikamaru's hand that rose into the air.

"Yes, my boy?" Dumbledore questioned.

"How are we supposed to pay for these items?" Shikamaru stared at the headmaster through lazy eyes, but the old wizard caught the young man's eyes flickering in Naruto's direction.

"Do not worry about payment, my boy. Your leader Hiruzen has already seen to it that the nine of you are accounted for. We have agreed upon setting up a trust fund account for each of you, supplied by your village."

It took a moment for the meaning of the headmaster's words to sink in with some of them, but it wasn't long before Naruto let out a whoop of excitement. The village would be paying for his stuff! How awesome was that?

Dumbledore smiled at the nine children before him and slipped the nine envelopes onto the table. "I trust that the nine of you will be able to take care of yourselves?" He received nine nods of varying degrees. "Good, then my last piece of advice is that the nine of you immediately head to Gringotts, the Wizarding Bank. It is the large white marble building at the corner of the street."

He stood, smiling serenely down at all of them. "Now, I must be off," He spoke, "I am a very busy man, after all."

Dumbledore's eyes started twinkling profusely as he spoke, and with all of the suddenness of an explosive tag, a plume of fire erupted from the headmaster's shoulder. For all but a second, the nine Genin saw a beautiful bird with bright red, orange and yellow plumage appear on the headmaster's shoulder.

Then he'd vanished in a swirl of flame.

…

"That was so cool!"

Naruto's outburst pretty much summed up all of their thoughts.

-.-

 ** _AN:_** _I know it's not much, but I wanted to put up another chapter for this one. You can expect some awesome developing fluffiness for the next chapter XD_

 _Oh, and go ahead and check out some of my other stories, your support is appreciated!_

 _Peace!_

 _The Chthonic Professor_


	3. Shopping Frenzy

_**Chapter Three - Shopping Frenzy**_

-.-

After finishing their breakfast, the group of young ninja found a dark corner of the bar and huddled together to discuss their plan of action. They all opened their letters, reading their contents to see just what they would need to buy after visiting Gringotts.

There was a moment of silence as the nine children looked over their lists.

Kiba was the first to speak up. "Am I the only one who thinks some of the things on this list are completely wacko?" He asked, waving his list around like it had personally offended him. Naruto nodded his head rapidly in agreement and even Sasuke let out a soft 'hn' of assent.

"Either way, I do not believe that this is a hoax of any kind," Shino's gravely voice caught everyone's attention, "Why? Because Hokage-sama seemed to trust Dumbledore-san."

Sasuke wouldn't admit it, but he was slightly impressed that Shino hadn't so much as stumbled over their new headmaster's name. Many of those in their little group nodded their head, believing the same as Shino.

"So now that we know this guy ain't pranking us," Kiba tried to take over the conversation, "What're we gonna buy first?" None of them found it odd (no, not even Sasuke), that they were automatically thinking of doing everything as a group. As much as some of the people in the group held small grudges against each other, their situation had changed, and they were already changing with it.

Though none of them realized it, this change had actually already begun; and it had begun with Naruto.

Naruto was a perfect example of growing up under the influence of nurture over nature. From a young age he'd had the realization that others were acknowledged far more than him. Even the other orphans in the orphanage were given more attention than him. Thus, Naruto craved attention, and he strove for it in the only way he could: negatively.

This was one of the reasons for his orange jumpsuit. This was one of the reasons for his idiotic, happy-go-lucky personality. That isn't to say that Naruto _wasn't_ a happy-go-lucky person, he was without a doubt someone who thought positively.

That doesn't change the fact that, once Naruto had been removed form the setting that had nurtured him to be the way he was, he changed.

It wasn't overt. It wasn't even drastic. Yet, nonetheless, Naruto had already begun changing. From the moment they'd arrived in the bustling streets of Diagon Alley, Naruto had been gazing around him in awe and wonderment. Partially because of the setting, yes, but also because nobody paid him a second glance. Sure, they thought a blond kid wearing an orange jumpsuit was a little strange, but nobody glared. Nobody whispered hurtful words, or sneered, or spat, or pulled their children away as he passed.

Here, in this new, weird, crazy place, Naruto was _normal_. So, whether he realized it or not, _he_ could begin acting normal. He didn't need to run up and down the streets clamouring for attention anymore, because he didn't _need_ these people to look at him.

And so, whether he realized it or not, ever since their arrival in this new, strange place… Naruto had been quieter. Not by very much, he was still the same excitable kid he'd always been, but he'd been just a little bit calmer, just a little bit more focused, ever since they'd arrived.

So, as Naruto had been just a little bit calmer, and just a little bit more focused, he'd also been a little more perceptive.

One did not become Konoha's Prankster King from Hell without having a decent sense of perception.

Thus, it came as a shock to every member of their group when Naruto was the one who suggested the most logical course of action in response to Kiba's query.

"We should get our robes first, we kind of stand out a little."

Eight children swivelled their gazes to the only blond male in their group and froze. Naruto blinked at them, looked down at his jumpsuit, and looked back at them. He frowned.

"Yeah, yeah, you're all _real_ funny." He glared, crossing his arms and pouting. As much as the jumpsuit was one of the only things he could afford, he wouldn't have bought it if orange hadn't been his favourite colour.

"I-I think N-N-Naruto-kun makes a-a good p-point." Hinata stuttered, pushing her fingers together and blushing as she stared up at Naruto through her bangs. Naruto stopped glaring in favour of grinning at the shy, navy-haired girl.

"Thanks, Hinata-chan! See, she thinks it's a good idea!" Naruto crowed, jabbing his finger at Sasuke.

Despite the fact that Naruto had no reason to be mad at him whatsoever (considering the fact that _all_ of them had been taken aback by his suggestion), Sasuke kept his cool.

"I never said it wasn't a good idea, Naruto." Sasuke was almost surprised with himself for being so civil, but Naruto hadn't (until now) been an annoyance, so he really had no reason to be one either.

There was a pause as everyone tried to wrap their heads around the situation. They all seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

Then Sasuke nodded, stood up, and looked down at his eight companions. "Alright, looks like we're buying our robes first." He turned on his heel, made it five steps towards the door, and froze. He looked over his shoulder and clicked his tongue, "After, of course, we visit the bank."

He tried to ignore Shikamaru's chuckling and the giggling of Ino and Sakura as he led their little group out into the streets of Diagon Alley.

-.-

After each of them had received a decent amount of gold from their trust vaults at Gringotts, Sasuke marched them out of the massive marble structure. He hadn't said a word about it, but some of the more perceptive members of their group realized that Sasuke had been _very_ uncomfortable in the presence of the goblin bankers.

They didn't exactly blame him. The entire experience had been incredibly disconcerting.

Sasuke had, for some reason, taken upon the role of group leader, and so did the most logical thing (after making sure he had separated himself from the white marble building as much as possible), and turned to perform a head count.

He had just done it to calm his nerves by counting, and had not actually expected them to be missing a member.

"Where's Naruto?" Sasuke almost growled, and stood on the edges of his toes (they were _not_ his 'tippy-toes') to try and spot the orange monstrosity that was Naruto amongst the surrounding crowd.

The others started looking around, following Sasuke's example as they hurriedly began looking for their wayward blond teammate. Just as Sasuke's search was starting to become frantic - how could the idiot already be lost? - Naruto popped up directly behind Sasuke.

"Hey guys, I found the robe shop!" He exclaimed, and immediately found himself kissing the cobblestone street as Sasuke planted a fist into his gut and dropped him.

"You idiot, don't scare me like that!"

The rest of the group couldn't tell if he was scared by Naruto popping up behind him or by the fact that they'd almost lost him in a foreign crowd.

It was only moments before Naruto had recovered and instantly began dragging Sasuke down the street. The look on Sasuke's face as Naruto dragged him down the street by the hand was priceless.

"Come on, it's this way!" He yelled over his shoulder, urging the rest of their little Genin group to follow him.

In mere moments, after following the charging blond menace down the winding cobbled street, the nine Genin find themselves standing outside a clothing establishment.

"Madame Malkin's Robes for all Occasions…" Sasuke muttered quietly to himself. Then he looked over his shoulder at the other Genin, shrugged, and walked in.

The rest of them followed him in, and were instantly besieged by a portly little woman with a wide smile.

"Hello, hello, are you dears fist-year students to Hogwarts?" She instantly asked, rushing up to them.

Sasuke, slightly startled by the woman's sudden appearance, just quietly nodded at her. She called over a couple of her assistants and instantly began setting them up on stools and taking their measurements.

The nine Genin were poked and prodded by the woman and her pretty assistants as she flitted around the little shop, fitting them with the robes they'd require for their first year at a Wizarding school.

However, just as she was about to finish with the last of them, Sasuke had the presence of mind to speak up.

"Madame Malkin?" He probed questioningly, not quite sure what he should be doing to grab her attention. He needn't have worried as the witch turned to him with a smile.

"Yes dear?"

"You see, the nine of us stand out a little in the crowd, I was wondering if we could purchase some more… casual attire." He asked, shifting from one foot to the other uncomfortably. Madame Malkin blinked at him for a moment, before turning around and eyeing everyone's attire. She squinted and then nodded, as if coming to a decision.

"Well, I can fit you each with a pair of comfortable, everyday robes. They'll be similar to your Hogwarts robes, except maybe slightly more comfortable. Oh, and you'll also be able to choose the colour of your robes."

When they were finally done and everything was paid for, the nine of them found themselves standing just outside the shop, each of them wearing a different coloured pair of robes. Sasuke couldn't keep the smirk off his face.

They'd each gotten two pairs of black slacks and white button-up shirts to wear under their robes, along with black closed-toed shoes, and Sasuke thought they all looked rather professional with their similar clothes. However, that's not what had him smirking.

After paying a little extra sum of money, Madame Malkin had stitched the Uchiwa onto the back every one of his robes, including the navy blue robe he was currently wearing.

Shikamaru, being the lazy bastard he was, had been the only one to opt for standard black robes. Though, it might have been something to do with his clan's shadow techniques, Sasuke thought to himself. Standing just behind Shikamaru was Choji, wearing a deep red robe that hid a surprising amount of his… size.

Sakura was wearing a pink robe almost the exact same shade as her hair, which surprisingly looked rather good on her. Beside Sakura, complaining about how her deep purple robes didn't complement her figure at all, was Ino. Standing behind them, pushing her fingers together shyly was Hinata, wearing golden-yellow robes that looked suspiciously similar to Naruto's hair colour.

Kiba had, surprisingly, opted for a pure white robe in which he could hide Akamaru like it was nobody's business. The puppy just seemed to vanish into the pristine folds of the robe. Shino stood slightly off to the side of the group, his forest green robes looking surprisingly similar to the green coat he'd always been seen wearing before.

Finally, the last of them to leave was Naruto, and Sasuke almost did a double-take at the sight he made.

Trotting out of the shop with a happy, small smile on his face, Naruto's deep orange robe fluttered out behind him, showing the rest of their group just how mature he looked when wearing a standard shirt and pants. Naruto had decided to wear his robe just a little differently from the rest of them, opting to tie it closed around his neck, but leaving his arms out of his sleeves.

He probably didn't realize it, but he made quite a sight, with his dark orange robes fluttering out like a cape as he strutted up to them. He stopped just a couple of feet away from Sasuke, and the last Uchiha noticed the white spiral in a black circle stitched onto the back of Naruto's robe, just like his Uchiwa.

Huh, that was food for thought. Sasuke had never actually seen Naruto without that spiral; the same spiral which was present on the back of every standard-issue Chunin uniform.

"So," Naruto spoke, grinning at the rest of them, "What're we gonna get next?" He glanced at Sasuke from the corner of his eyes, and he almost grinned at how the everyone seemed to be unanimously deferring to him as their leader, even Naruto.

It was both a good and… humbling feeling.

Sasuke pulled his Hogwarts letter from his pocket and perused it, before glancing up and down the street.

"Why don't we go get our trunks first. We can leave those in our rooms at the Leaky Cauldron and pack them after we finish shopping."

Everyone nodded in agreement and started heading back up the winding street towards the bar. Making sure to take the rear of their group, Sasuke looked around to make sure nobody was watching him.

Then he quickly tied together the thin rope at the neck of his robes and slipped his arms from their sleeves.

He couldn't help but grin as he caught his reflection in one of the shop windows. But _damn_ did he look good.

-.-

After they'd all purchased their standard school trunks and deposited them in their hotel rooms (of which there were three, one for the girls, two for the boys and three of them in each room), Sasuke suggested they head to the apothecary to purchase what they needed there, and then head to purchase their books, so that they could then carry their books back to their rooms in their newly-purchased cauldrons.

Ino had lit up like a firework when they'd entered the apothecary, rushing around the store to gaze with wide eyes at all of the odd and rare ingredients filling the shelves. On the other hand, Kiba hadn't even taken a single step into the store before lurching back as if someone had punched him in the face. He'd been so sensitive to the smell that Sasuke had to take Kiba's bag of money from him and purchase all of the mutt's supplies himself.

After the apothecary, as planned, they visited the book store (for some reason called Flourish & Blotts), where Sakura had run around like a kid in a candy store. She'd used most of the extra money they'd been given to purchase an unholy amount of books, but that hadn't exactly been unusual.

No, what was unusual actually had to do with Naruto. Though Sasuke was sure he was the only one who'd seen it, Naruto had snuck off to a corner of the room when a book caught his eye, and Sasuke had seen his sapphire eyes alight with wonder. If he hadn't been paying attention to make sure the idiot didn't run off again, Sasuke wouldn't have noticed Naruto purchasing that single extra book.

His curiosity had been piqued. He wanted to know just what that book held to make Naruto actually buy it. So help him, if it was a book on pranking…

Besides for that, everything had gone off without a hitch and the group of nine found themselves trudging back up the street once more to deposit their books and cauldrons in their rooms.

They headed back outside and gathered around him in a semicircle, once again almost making Sasuke smirk.

He eyed his classmates and fellow graduates with something akin to pride in his eyes. At first, Sasuke had thought this entire idea would be a waste of his time, he wasn't about to deny that. He thought the Hokage was preventing him from seeking out Itachi to enact his revenge.

He'd actually gone to the Hokage in an attempt to convince the old Sarutobi to take him off the mission. Instead, the Sandaime had convinced Sasuke to go along, saying that Sasuke would be learning something that Itachi wouldn't know.

Oh, Sasuke knew that the Hokage had phrased his words exactly that way to convince Sasuke that he'd be learning something useful to use against Itachi not because he'd thought it would genuinely be useful, but because he thought it would convince Sasuke to go along. That _had_ angered Sasuke a little. Then he actually sat down and thought about it. Sasuke really _would_ be learning how to fight with an energy Itachi knew nothing about; something Itachi would have no idea how to counter.

There was no way he could actually pass this up.

So, while pondering the benefits of learning magic in another country, Sasuke had come to a realization. He was going to be in a foreign land where people knew nothing about being a shinobi or about shinobi life, and he was going to be there with eight of his classmates from the academy.

There was nobody there to pity him, or kiss up to him. He didn't have to worry about rushing to find Itachi and get his revenge. He'd be going to school once more, to learn something that would finally let him enact his revenge against his brother.

So, Sasuke began to change. Just a little, but it was enough to be noticeable. He was still the arrogant jerk who had a mountain-sized amount of pride for the Uchiha name, and he was still obsessed with getting revenge on Itachi. But no longer were his classmates hindrances. They would all be learning magic, the basics, at the same time. If Sasuke worked hard and made sure that nobody fell behind, he could have powerful allies.

Powerful allies who wouldn't die against Itachi.

All of this was subconscious thought, yes, but subconsciously, Sasuke had been pushing people away for the fear that one day, Itachi would show up and kill them too.

When the circumstances and the situation changed; so did Sasuke, and his heart opened _just_ a little bit to his classmates, his fellow Genin, _his_ group.

Somehow, Naruto and Sasuke had begun to change in the last two days. Yes, these changes were minimal, almost unnoticeable, but as Sasuke stood in front of his peers, Naruto at his side, he thought maybe he wasn't the only one who had noticed or acknowledged these changes, whether subconsciously or not.

"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto's voice broke Sasuke from his musings, "It's almost lunchtime and I saw this ice cream place before…" Naruto left the sentence open-ended, eyeing Sasuke with wide pleading eyes. He sighed.

"Alright, I guess we're having ice cream for lunch." He conceded, hiding a small smile. There was cheer from Sakura, Ino, Choji, Kiba and Naruto, the latter two of which rushed off to Sasuke's growing exasperation.

As the rest of the group shot off after them down Diagon Alley, each at their own pace, Sasuke couldn't help but notice the change that was beginning to permeate their group of Genin.

Kiba and Shikamaru had both tied their robes closed and removed their arms from their sleeves.

-.-

The nine of them had gotten their ice cream and were chowing down on their treats just outside the little shop. Sasuke watched the rest of the Genin from where he was sitting.

Shikamaru had lain across a pair of chairs, a popsicle stick dangling lazily from his lips as he tried to nap. Above him Kiba was laughing at Choji, who had gotten a brain freeze from eating too quickly.

Sakura and Ino were giggling as they dragged Hinata into a conversation. Whatever they were talking about, all three of them were blushing and repeatedly sending glances in either his or Naruto's direction. Which was actually the same direction, as Naruto was sitting right beside him, happily eating his single scoop of chocolate ice cream.

Shino was, of course, sitting off to the side like Sasuke and watching everyone interact as his ice cream was devoured by a swarm of bugs.

"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto spoke up from beside him, tone surprisingly sombre, "We have to protect them, don't we," It wasn't a question. Looking over at the orange-loving blond, Sasuke saw Naruto's sapphire eyes were glazed over. He didn't know what had prompted Naruto to say something like that, but he didn't need to know.

"Yeah." He agreed with a single nod of his head. Nothing more needed to be said. He and Naruto shared a unique bond, maybe now that the both of them were starting to mature a little bit more, their bond could start maturing with them.

-.-

Their lunchtime treats settling nicely in their stomachs, Sasuke decided it was time they settle the last order of business. As their owls had already been purchased and taken care of by the Hokage and their headmaster, there was only one thing left to do.

Wands.

Eight Genin approached the wand shop with slight trepidation (Naruto, being Naruto, had yelled something about needing to take leak before taking off towards the Leaky Cauldron). They couldn't see anyone behind the counter through the window and the shop looked slightly desolate. Sasuke quietly read the sign under the name of the shop and let out a low whistle.

It read 'Ollivander's, Maker of Fine Wands since 382 BC'. Now that was a _long_ time to have a single family in a single profession.

Taking a deep breath, Sasuke trudged forwards and pushed his way into the dusty shop. Without a word the rest of the group followed him.

For a moment they all just stood there before the register, a little cramped in the small room, and wondering where the cashier was.

The old man with grey-white eyes staring intently at him from no more than two feet away nearly made Sasuke scream, and he was so close to Kiba that Sasuke felt him shiver. His eyes narrowed. They may not exactly have been extremely well-trained shinobi, but they were shinobi nonetheless. For this man to sneak up on _eight_ of them without having any of them notice, especially since one of them was an Inuzuka, made this man dangerous in Sasuke's books.

"Yes, yes, you must be the group Dumbledore told me about. Hm, let's see, let's see," He mumbled to himself, eyeing every one of them like they were objects for nothing more than observation, "I think we'll go with you first, yes?" He suddenly grasped Hinata by the shoulder earning a surprised squeak from the demure girl. "Now, now, no need to be frightened."

He let her go, vanished around a corner, and reappeared with a measuring tape in one hand. "Now, if you could hold out your wand arm…" He asked, looking at Hinata expectantly. When Hinata made no move to follow his command, he sighed, sounding exasperated. "Your dominant hand, my dear, hold it out in front of you."

Hinata seemed to jolt a little in surprise before daintily raising up her right hand.

"Yes, very good, very good," The man muttered, then tossed the measuring tape up into the air, turned, and shuffled his way into the rows upon rows of boxes that filled the back of the store. To everyone's surprise, the measuring tape began floating in the air, and then started to measure different parts of Hinata's body. Entirely on its own.

It was the first blatant use of magic that the young shinobi had seen so far, and to say they were impressed was an understatement.

The old man returned from the back with a stack of boxes in his arms. He placed them on the front desk, tore open the first of the long, thin boxes, and shoved a stick into Hinata's hands.

Startled, the girl stood there silently, eyeing the object in her hands with confusion. Once more, the old man sighed. "Give it a little wave," He ushered, sounding both excited and exasperated at the same time.

Hinata, blushing and feeling a little idiotic, waved her arm around a bit. Instantly the man had snatched it from her hands and replaced it with a new stick, which the rest were beginning to assume was a wand. She waved her hand again, and once more the man shook his head, snatching the wand from her hands.

"Hm, interesting, interesting." He nodded to himself, gathered up the boxes, and disappeared back into the rows upon rows of shelves.

The eight Genin couldn't help but stand there in shock, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

Hinata's thoughts were a destructive whirlwind. _'Oh no,'_ she began, shoulders already curling in on themselves, _'I've already failed. I'm already failing the mission! I'm not good enough to get a wand, and I won't be able to go to Hogwarts with Naruto-kun and the others, and they're going to get mad at me and take me off the mission and send me home back to father and the rest of the clan! What am I going to do!?'_

Then, silent as a ghost, the man returned from the back with a single, thin wooden box in his hands.

"Here, try this one dear," He whispered almost reverently, presenting her with a simple yet elegant light brown wand.

Hinata reached out, lightly lifting the wand in her small, dainty hands. Instantly, an ethereal golden glow filled the room, rotating calmly about Hinata, as a stream of golden stars erupted from the tip of the wand.

Hinata gasped softly in surprise at the sudden warmth that filled her body, traveling up her fingers, into her chest, and down to the tips of her toes. It felt familiar and _right_ to her, as if she'd been meant to hold this wand from birth and hadn't known until that very moment.

The man clapped happily, seemingly elated at having matched Hinata with a wand. He was about to call the next person in the group forward, when Shino stepped up beside Hinata, startling some of the other members of the group.

"I have a question for you, Mr…" Shino trailed off, realizing that the man had not, in fact, introduced himself yet.

"Ah, how silly of me," He spoke, shaking his head, "My name is Garrick Ollivander, and you are?" He questioned the boy before him, clad in deep forest-green robes.

"I am Shino Aburame, Mr. Ollivander." Shino had to remember to introduce himself with his given name first, as seemed to be the custom with this culture. "I was wondering why this wand worked for Hinata when the others did not?" He asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.

"Would you perhaps be a prospective wand-maker like myself, Mr. Aburame?" Garrick inquired, suddenly very interested in the young man before him. Shino just shrugged.

"Perhaps," He said with a tilt of the head.

"Then, it would be my pleasure to oblige." Garrick bowed slightly to Shino, who bowed back in respect for the man's trade. Then the old man instantly launched into a lecture about wands.

"There are four things to think about when matching a wand to a wizard. The wood, the core, the length, and the rigidity of the wand in question all come into effect. However, one must always remember that it is the wand who chooses the wizard." He began, happy to pass on his knowledge to the next generation. "Young Hinata here," He waved an arm at her, "Was chosen by a wand of Willow, with the core of a hair taken from a Unicorn, eleven and a half inches in length, and with a rather springy nature."

Mr. Ollivander smiled benignly at the group of children before him.

"You may be surprised by just how much I can tell about a person's character simply through the wand that has chosen them. You see, Willow is a rather uncommon wood with a penchant for healing, and I have noted that the ideal owner for a Willow wand often has some - usually unwarranted - insecurity, however well they may try to hide it." He glanced at Hinata from the corner of his eye, catching her slightly slack-jawed expression. "I have also noted that my Willow wands have consistently selected those of only the greatest potential. In general Willow wands have a tendency to produce advanced non-verbal magic, and it is a proverb in my family that 'he who has furthest to travel will go fastest with willow." **(1).**

Some of the children looked slightly impressed that Hinata had been chosen by such a powerful-sounding wand. Even Hinata looked slightly surprised at the wand in her hands.

"The Unicorn hair makes the wand one that is incredibly faithful, and will most likely refuse to be handled by anyone but it's original owner. Unicorn hair makes for wands that produce the most consistent magic, with the fewest blockages, thought it is sometimes seen as an inferior core due to the fact that it does not tend to produce the most powerful of wands. The length of the wand shows a combination of decent open-mindedness and average physical size, though the two may not always coincide. Finally, we have the rigidity, which shows that both young Hinata and her wand are willing and capable of change."

Hinata smiled, seemingly very happy with the wand that had chosen her.

"Now," Mr. Ollivander continued, clasping his hands together, "Why don't we have you go next," He motioned to Shino who nodded his consent.

Shino's process went much the same as Hinata's, where he tried a few wands that Mr. Ollivander deemed unacceptable, before he delved into his maze of shelves and returned with a single wooden box. In a display similar to, though less dramatic than, Hinata's, Shino had found his wand.

"Beech wood, with hair taken from a Unicorn, twelve and a half inches, reasonably springy. This shows that you are wise beyond your years, and if suitably matched, then your wand shall be capable of a subtlety and artistry unseen in any other wand. Otherwise, your wand is rather similar to that of young Hinata."

Shino nodded, a small smile on his face, and backed up to let the next person receive their wand. With a grin on his face, Kiba bounded up to the front of the group and loudly proclaimed that he would be the next to get his wand. From within his robes, Akamaru stuck out his head and barked his agreement.

Mr. Ollivander was only startled for a moment, before suddenly grinning (rather disconcertingly) in Kiba's direction.

"Well, I know _just_ the wand for you, young man!" Mr. Ollivander vanished and returned only moments later with another single, thin box in his hands.

"Here, try this." He pulled the wand from the box and handed it to Kiba. Instantly a loud bang echoed through the store as confetti burst from the tip of the wand, causing Kiba to roar with laughter.

"Yes, just as I thought. Dogwood, with a heartstring taken from the heart of a Dragon, fourteen inches in length, and absolutely unyielding."

Sasuke's sigh and quiet, " _Of course it would be Dogwood,_ " was drowned out by Kiba's loud, " _Heart of a Dragon!?_ "

"Yes, yes," Mr. Ollivander calmed Kiba down with a wave of his hands, "Dogwood is one of my own personal favourites. Dogwood wands are quirky and mischievous; they have playful natures and insist upon partners who can provide them with scope for excitement and fun. It would be quite wrong, however, to deduce from this that dogwood wands are not capable of serious magic when called upon to do so; they have been known to perform outstanding spells under difficult conditions, and when paired with a suitably clever and ingenious witch or wizard, can produce dazzling enchantments. An interesting foible of many dogwood wands is that they refuse to perform non-verbal spells and they are often rather noisy." He explained, gazing pointedly at Kiba, who at least had the decency to blush for his outburst.

"The core, a Dragon's Heartstring, is the most powerful core known to wizarding kind, and tends to produce the most flamboyant spells. However, wands with a Dragon Heartstring core are the most easily won from their current master. Though, when paired with a Dogwood wand, I'm sure you won't find any troubles with your wand's loyalty…" Mr. Ollivander trailed off, muttering quietly to himself.

"Finally, the length and rigidity of your wand show that you have an open personality and that you are rather stubborn, and like your wand, are unyielding in your ways."

After Kiba, it was Sakura's turn to receive her wand, and the smaller girl with long pink hair almost vibrated with excitement. Like Shino, she'd been curious about the properties and purposes of the different wands. Maybe later she could research more into the subject and compare notes with him…

"Now, let's see here, hm, yes," Mr. Ollivander nodded to himself and took off into the back of the shop as his magical measuring tape began flitting about Sakura.

Sakura, it turned out, was a far more difficult customer than the first three of their group. She'd gone through a massive stack of wands already, but the more and more difficult a customer Sakura seemed, the more excited Mr. Ollivander became.

After another spectacular failure, Kiba leaned over to Choji and Shikamaru, and not-so-subtly whispered, "Hey, do you guys think Sakura will actually end up getting a wand?" Sakura heard him and she whipped around to glare at Kiba with glistening eyes. She was about to tear Kiba a new one when suddenly Mr. Ollivander's head popped up from behind a teetering stack of boxes.

"What's this? Your name is Sakura, young miss?" Sakura stopped, took a deep breath, and let her anger abate. Then she turned and looked at Mr. Ollivander with a too-sweet smile.

"Yes, my name is Sakura Haruno, Mr. Ollivander." She cocked her head, clasping her hands behind her back and smiled with her eyes closed. Kiba, who was now cowering in the corner of the shop by the window, whimpered.

Mr. Ollivander stared intensely at Sakura for over a minute, making the girl slightly uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the man's misty eyes. Then he smiled. "Yes, very, _very_ interesting." Then he vanished once more.

It was only a moment - maybe a couple of heartbeats - later that the man reappeared, a single, long box held in his spindly, spider-like fingers. He pulled a beautiful wand from the box, presenting Sakura with a wand that looked like it deserved to be an ornament more than a weapon. He pressed it into Sakura's hands with a wide smile on his face.

"Try this one, Ms. Haruno."

The moment Sakura waved her arms, a deluge of cherry blossoms erupted from the tip of her wand, slowly fluttering down and around the group of Genin to littler the floor with pink. Sakura gasped softly as she held her new wand in her hands, gazing at the wooden implement with wonder.

"Incredible, I never would have suspected…" Mr. Ollivander muttered to himself, stroking his chin absently.

"Never would have expected what, Mr. Ollivander?" Sakura asked, curious as to why the process of attaining a wand had been so much longer for her than the others.

"That wand is very special, Ms. Haruno, and I implore you take immeasurable care of it." He spoke in a low voice, barely above a whisper. "You see, the wand I have given you is made from a very special, very rare wood, and is imbued with a core that, when found together, gives me goosebumps and the shivers. It is the only one of its kind in my shop." He stroked the wand in her hands with a single, long, knobbly finger, gazing at it almost reverently.

"Wood taken from the Cherry Blossom tree, a core of Dragon Heartstring, a length of twelve inches, and an unyielding temperament. This is without a doubt the most powerful wand I have ever crafted." Everyone gasped.

Though nobody noticed it, Sasuke's eyes flashed with jealousy at those words.

"Wood taken from the Cherry Blossom tree always, _always_ produces a wand of lethal power, no matter the core, but when paired with a core of Dragon Heartstring… well, I wouldn't dare pair it with someone not of exceptional self-control and strength of mind." He explained, his pale blue eyes boring into Sakura's vibrant green ones.

Not needing to explain neither the length nor the rigidity of Sakura's wand, Mr. Ollivander moved on to attend to his next customer. Ino, of course, stepped up next, refusing to be outdone by her rival Sakura. After only a couple of tries, she received her wand with a smug smirk on her face.

"A wand of Elm wood, the core of a Dragon's Heartstring, eleven inches in length and rigid in nature." Mr. Ollivander nodded to himself. "Wands of Elm prefer owners who have presence, magical dexterity, and are of a certain native dignity. Of all wand woods, elm, in my experience, produces the fewest accidents, the least foolish errors, and the most elegant charms and spells; these are sophisticated wands, capable of highly advanced magic in the right hands."

Still smirking, Ino sauntered back to her classmates and allowed the next person to take the spotlight. Choji would receive his wand next.

"Made of Alder wood, with a core of Unicorn hair, a length of fifteen and a half inches, and the tense rigidity that is a staple of all Alder wands. Alder is an unyielding wood by nature, yet, oddly, its ideal owner is not stubborn or obstinate, but often helpful, considerate and most likeable." All of the other Genin smiled, that definitely sounded like Choji. Happy with his wand, Choji trotted up to Shikamaru and then gave him a slight shove, pushing him forwards so that he would be the next to receive his wand.

In true lazy Shikamaru fashion, the first wand to touch his fingers ended up choosing him. The rest of the Genin swore they could see Mr. Ollivander slump in disappointment.

"How interesting. A wand of Cedar wood, with the core of a feather taken from a Phoenix, eleven inches in length, and a rigid temperament. Whenever I meet one who carries a cedar wand, I find strength of character and unusual loyalty. My father, Gervaise Ollivander, used always to say, 'you will never fool the cedar carrier,' and I agree: the cedar wand finds its perfect home where there is perspicacity and perception. I would go further than my father, however, in saying that I have never yet met the owner of a cedar wand whom I would care to cross, especially if harm is done to those of whom they are fond. The witch or wizard who is well-matched with cedar carries the potential to be a frightening adversary, which often comes as a shock to those who have thoughtlessly challenged them." Mr. Ollivander gave Shikamaru a calculating look as he shuffled through the group of Genin to stand beside Choji once more.

"Now, who do we have left…" Mr. Ollivander muttered, staring at Sasuke. In true Sasuke fashion, he stared right back, refusing to feel uncomfortable under this odd man's gaze.

"Very well, very well, this shall only take a moment."

Sasuke's wand-choosing went much like the others, and after a couple of failed tries, Mr. Ollivander had finally found Sasuke's match. The man's eyes were veritably twinkling as he removed the wand from its box and handed it to the most intense of the assembled Genin.

Instantly a gout of flame erupted from the tip of Sasuke's wand, lighting Mr. Ollivander's bushy white eyebrows on fire. Everyone started panicking when, with no more than a wave of Mr. Ollivander's hand, the flame was snuffed out.

"Now, you have quite the interesting wand there, young man. Made of Holly wood, with the core of a Phoenix tail feather, ten inches in length, and a firm rigidity. Holly is one of the rarer kinds of wand woods; traditionally considered protective, it works most happily for those who may need help overcoming a tendency to anger and impetuosity. At the same time, holly wands often choose owners who are engaged in some dangerous and often spiritual quest. Holly is one of those woods that varies most dramatically in performance depending on the wand core, and it is a notoriously difficult wood to team with phoenix feather, as the wood's volatility conflicts strangely with the phoenix's detachment. In the unusual event of such a pairing finding its ideal match, however, nothing and nobody should stand in their way."

By the end of Mr. Ollivander's explanation, Sasuke was grinning dangerously. It looked like his wand would be one to serve him well.

At that very moment, everyone's attention was drawn to the street by a sudden loud shout. To everyone's astonishment, there was Naruto sprinting up the cobblestone street, a grin on his face and his robes fluttering rapidly behind him.

"Sorry I'm late!" He yelled as he approached the shop. He took a flying leap, clearing the stairs to the front of the shop, and skidding to a stop just in front of Mr. Ollivander. "I got lost whi-"

Naruto's explanation (read: excuse) for his lateness was abruptly cut off by a loud _bang!_ erupting from the back of the shop. Mr. Ollivander's eyes widened, and he suddenly ducked his head. A spinning object flew across the shop headed straight for Naruto, and it was only his inherent reflexes that allowed him to throw his head out of the way and catch the object as it flew behind him.

The moment Naruto's hand had touched the flying wand, an invisible wave of energy ran from the tips of his fingers to the soles of his feet. The air grew thick, and there was a muffled _whump!_ that could be felt through the floor, as if someone had just dropped something very heavy. Then Naruto exploded in a maelstrom of multicoloured energies.

The sudden shockwave sent all eight of the Genin and Mr. Ollivander to the ground, and faintly they could hear the shop's windows shattering over the sound of rushing winds that had suddenly filled the shop.

Then, as if being sucked into a vacuum, the rainbow of energy surrounding Naruto was sucked back into his body and the thick, heavy presence that had filled the air was gone.

Mr. Ollivander stumbled to his feet, gazing at Naruto and the wand now resting in his right hand with a hungry expression.

"Magnificent, truly magnificent!" He crowed, paying no heed to the other eight Genin who were slowly rising to their feet, all of them shocked to the point of silence by what had just transpired.

"What the heck was that?!" Naruto freaked out, his eyes wide, staring at the seemingly innocent-looking stick of wood in his hands.

"That, young man," Mr. Ollivander began breathlessly, "Is what happens when someone destined for a wand made of Vine wood enters my store."

"Eh?" Was Naruto's elegant response.

"The druids considered anything with a woody stem as a tree, and vine makes wands of such a special nature that I have been happy to continue their ancient tradition. Vine wands are among the less common types, and I have been intrigued to notice that their owners are nearly always those witches or wizards who seek a greater purpose, who have a vision beyond the ordinary and who frequently astound those who think they know them best. Vine wands seem strongly attracted by personalities with hidden depths, and I have found them more sensitive than any other when it comes to instantly detecting a prospective match. Reliable sources claim that these wands can emit magical effects upon the mere entrance into their room of a suitable owner, and I have twice observed the phenomenon in my own shop; although, the first two instances were not nearly as violent as this one." Mr. Ollivander chuckled. He pulled out his own wand, and with a wave and an incantation, the windows were repaired.

"Cool." Naruto grinned, looking at the wand resting comfortably in his hands.

"What makes this entire scenario so very intriguing has, in fact, to do with that wand's core. You see, that wand has the core of a Phoenix tail feather. A Phoenix tail feather, taken from the same Phoenix that gave the feather to that wand." Mr. Ollivander explained, pointing to the the wand held tightly in Sasuke's grasp. "That makes these wands brothers, meaning you will find it difficult to cast spells at each other. How very, very peculiar…" Mr. Ollivander trailed off, once more muttering to himself.

"Now, that wand you hold is fourteen and a half inches in length, and is more on the supple side. If you would, each of those wands is worth seven galleons, thank you for shopping at Ollivander's." He smiled kindly at them.

In short order, the wands were paid for, returned to their original boxes, and the nine Konohagakure Genin found themselves shuffled outside of the cramped, dusty shop.

Naruto turned to face his eight classmates, a look of confusion and slight terror on his face, as he asked, "What… what just happened?"

He received eight awkward shrugs in response.

-.-

 **(1)** I got most of these definitions from the Pottermore Wiki, though some were paraphrased to fit the story a little better.

 _ **AN:**_ _I AM A TANK! Seven thousand words in approximately twenty four hours. This chapter practically wrote itself! Anyway people, please leave a review if you like it, leave a review if you don_ _'_ _t! I want your opinions, even if they_ _'_ _re hurtful._

 _Peace!_

 _The Chthonic Professor_


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